Moving!

As some of you may know, Chris and I have bought a house!  This really makes me feel like a grown up (and has me freaking out on the inside) but we are really excited about what God is doing. This has been and will be a big change for us, and a few weeks ago I needed to process some of what I was feeling and wrote the following.  I thought I would share it to give you all a glimpse of what God has been doing in our lives regarding this house...

Sometime early last year the Lord laid it on my heart that he was going to deliver a house to us.  This brought about great excitement and I began eagerly visiting and spying on every available house in our surrounding neighborhoods. We looked at houses, put an offer in, got rejected, and became disappointed.  I came to a point of saying, “OK, Lord if this is you then you will need to do this.”  At one point I was praying about this whole house business when I received a few words from the Lord.  One of them was “green” and the other was “next year.”  I found these curious but had come to a point where I was no longer interested in trying to figure out what God was doing, so I said OK and moved on.  

We continued to look at the house list emails we received regularly but nothing ever seemed to stand out or strike us much.  Then one day a 3 bedroom 2 bath house appeared on the market.  It’s exterior color?  Solid green.  It was in our price range (and on a street we had liked), so we decided to look.  It was not exactly what we anticipated, but it was small and spacious.  It was August and we decided to place an offer, even though the timing to move during the school year would be less than ideal, and left it at that.  Weeks and months passed.  We got word that there was another offer ahead of ours and that it was not looking good.  Chris was trying to prepare me to not be disappointed, but I flatly told him that I thought we would get it because of what the Lord had told me.  Chris just shrugged his shoulders.  A few more weeks passed when Chris received a call from our realtor.  The first offer was not responding, and if they didn’t by 5:00 that day, our offer would be sent in.  Chris laughed over the phone, knowing how I would respond to this news, “I told you so…”  Being that this is a short sale, weeks continued to pass with every now and then more paperwork demanded of us.  Thanksgiving came, then Christmas.  It is now just after the new year, 2012, and I imagine that very soon we will be approved for the solid green house on Pearl St., just in God’s perfect timing.  

The thought of moving from our beloved Kay Street apartments has given me so many mixed emotions.  As corny as this sounds, I feel a little bit like Frodo being asked to leave the Shire.  Though far from the Shire, this apartment complex has been our safety and refuge for the past two years.  We have developed beautiful relationships with a wonderful community that I do not want to leave.  When I think of how far these relationships have grown-- from unknowing glances to hugs, from silence to laughter, from mistrust to trust, I am beyond grateful at how much I have learned and been loved living here.  I think about our beloved Vlad and Flor, a couple who have truly become our brother and sister, whom we have been able to share apartments, vacuums, food, and dishes with, whom we have laughed and talked to throughout many evenings, whom we have been challenged and loved by, and I am so sad to leave the precious closeness that this little complex has offered.  And yet I trust my Jesus that He is calling me out, calling me to a new territory.  A new street where there will be unknowing glances, silence, and mistrust until the peace and presence of Jesus breaks through.  Here in Compton we know that a house is more than a house- it is ministry, community, family, koinonia.  It is our mission; and we trust that God goes before us as He guides us to this new place. 

Diversity

We are so blessed to live in a diverse community.  I am constantly learning about different cultural norms and values from my interactions with people here.  I love this about Compton- there is so much culture and history in this city.  But one of the struggles of diversity is the language barrier.  When we first moved in we realized that all of the families in our complex are Spanish speakers except for one- and in that one English speaking family both the parents are deaf.  Needless to say, Chris and I have been challenged to stretch our communication comfort levels to new territories.  Sometimes this looks like communicating with our hands as best we can to a deaf mom, sometimes it looks like utilizing my not-so-great Spanish skills to attempt to show my neighbor that I truly am interested in their life- even if I sound ridiculous.  And what I have learned is that no matter how much I botch a sentence or say the wrong word, my neighbors are thrilled when I try (and they usually say I'm not as bad as I think) and they show me grace as I stumble through.  We become equals as we both try to understand and communicate with one another.  I've learned that sometimes showing love looks like looking stupid, but it's all for a greater cause: the reconciliation of people across lines of race, socio-economic status, and language.

Joy

One of my favorite things about living in our apartment complex are all the kids we have around!! When we first moved in to this complex, we knew that God wanted us to love on the kids that would become our neighbors. Initially we would get shy glances, maybe a stare, and if we were lucky a hello.  Over time the kids started to warm up a bit. We would help them get a toy stuck out of the tree (Chris's height has helped us in this), bake some cookies together, or play a game.  


A few months ago we started a missional community gathering in our complex, led by our upstairs neighbors.  This is basically a family gathering where we come together to eat and learn about what it means to be a disciple.  Everyone is invited to this.  Well, once the kids found out, there was no stopping them.


Every Wednesday the apartment is full of almost all the kids from our complex.  At first they weren't sure what we were doing when we held hands and prayed.  They watched us greet each other with hugs, and they watched us be family together.  Now whenever we come home we are greeted by hugs, the kids are praying with us, and they even feel like we are family.  They share their struggles with us, and we get to love them and demonstrate what it looks like to love God and love others.  Even their families have started to come around to see what our times together are all about. These kids are an amazing joy, and I am so excited to see what God has in store for them! 

Rest!!

Such a beloved word I get excited just thinking about it...


Chris and I had the wonderful opportunity to get away and rest this weekend in Palm Springs. We Priceline'd our hotel (a great resource for those on a budget, Dave Ramsey anyone?), had to fight for a king size bed, refused to accept extra resort fees, and survived the heat. But more importantly-- we were refreshed.


We have been in Compton for a year and a half now, and there are certain things we have adjusted to like: noise almost constantly-- car alarms, parents and kids yelling, cars driving by, dogs barking, did I say car alarms?-- prostitution occurring on our door step, and plenty of police activity to name a few.  But it wasn't until we got away from those things that we realized how they impact us on a daily basis.  There were far fewer cars on our vacation, one police car we noticed, and we even visited the mountains where we looked out over nature in absolute silence.  What a gift.  My soul was invigorated as I witnessed God's beauty and his hand in nature.


Coming home I began to realize how things like traffic and noise wear me down every day. My thoughts went to my neighbors and friends that I have grown close to in our time here in the city.  Many of them do not have the ability to take a vacation.  Many are working hard just to survive and do not have the resources to get away.  They, too, are a gift.  My soul is invigorated as I witness their dedication, their courage, and their strength on a daily basis.


It's good to get away for times of refreshment.  It's even better to recognize the refreshment God brings to me every day at home.

Truth

I have definitely been going through a good bout of burnout.  I am tired.  Living here is hard.  There are times when I just want to go for a walk and not feel like an outsider.  I want to be able to lay on grass and not be thinking about who's around me.  I want to have moments of quietness.  I want to see nature instead of concrete.  


I have been wrestling with God lately about what it means to cast my cares upon him, to carry his burden that is easy and light.  I don't do this well.  The burden seems heavy and harder than I can take.  I get angry, mad, frustrated. And then I realize, it's because I'm trying to hold it all myself.  I like to fix things.  I like to think I can handle whatever comes my way, that I can take it, that I can control it. 


But then the truth comes knocking quietly at my heart.  He never rushes in, never yells or shouts.  He just waits until I am ready to hear him.  Through the voice of a friend who says "You are strong." Or through a verse that says, "Cast your cares on him" and "Do not grow weary of doing good." Or the Spirit who says, "Give it to me. I am with you."  He always waits until I am ready to hear.  My prayer is that I will be more quick to listen.  

Work Day Time!!!

It's time for a Compton Initiative Workday!!! If you guys are interested in being a part of the movement in Compton, consider volunteering 5 hours of your Saturday morning to get dirty, have fun, and bless a community in the process.  The next workday is July 30th starting at 7am at Compton High School.  You can sign up to volunteer here.  Bring friends, family, or just yourself.  If you come let us know! We would love to see you and show you around the city! 

Sometimes

This is graffiti I wouldn't mind seeing more of...

Sometimes things seem dark when you realize the brokenness that abounds.  But then Jesus sends little reminders like this that He is present. Working and bringing peace.  And sometimes we even get to see it.